For some reason, The Echo, let alone Echo Park, seemed to be the last place I’d meet a celebrity gossiper, but as it was, he was there to show his support for the L.A.-based The Oohlas (MySpace), as he is friends with lead singer Olivia Stone, who dedicated two songs to him while onstage.

And while Vanegas has his share of critics, I found him to be completely approachable, as well as open, honest, and humble, when talking about himself and PitNB.

More after the jump.
Here are some highlights from my chat with Vanegas:

He had been contemplating moving from Detroit to L.A. for about four years, but it a combination of factors, including the breakup with his boyfriend, that made him realize that the timing was right for the move.

Friends from out-of-town had warned him that after the first month of living in L.A., that he’d start to dislike it, but he said that he hasn’t felt that sort of regret yet.

He started PitNB as a personal blog, that was mixed with celebrity gossip, for his friends and family, but as its popularity exploded, he moved that personal content to the bottom of each update.

He wakes up at 6:00 AM PT everyday and spends four to six hours collecting celebrity gossip and photographs so he can make his daily posts by 12:00 PM PT (keeping in mind the time difference and his readers on the East Coast).

He makes a “very good living” from the advertising revenue that PitNB generates.

People have a misconception that there is a rivalry between him and Mario Lavandeira, who runs Perez Hilton, but Vanegas wishes Lavandeira nothing but the best.

To this day, Vanegas still finds the experience of being recognized in public to be “very weird,” and mentioned being recognized earlier in the day in the elevator of the CNN building in Hollywood (he was there to film a segment on Showbiz Tonight about Tom Cruise).

I love trent’s blog! I’m so glad to see he’s getting some press as his blog is the funniest thing out there. Its just the mixture of funny, gossipy,newsy, and personal and he updates everyday which is also great. Thanks for the cool interview with him!